Kaye (Kysilewsky), Vladimir [Володимир Кисілевський] – scholar and civil servant; born on 4
August 1896 in Kolomyia (Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Ukraine; at that time – Austrian crown land of
Galicia); died on 30 August 1976 in Ottawa, Canada; buried in Notre Dame
Cemetery, Ottawa.

In 1914 Kysilewsky completed his gymnasium
secondary school education in
Chernivtsi. After the outbreak of the First World War he joined the
Ukrainian Sich Riflemen. In 1917 he began his studies in Vienna. In
1918-1920 he served with the Ukrainian Galician Army (UGA). Briefly at
the end of 1919, in Odesa, he acted as a liaison between the UGA and the
British Military Mission to South Russia. After his military service he
resumed his studies and in 1924 gained a doctorate in history from
Vienna University.

In 1925 Kysilewsky emigrated to Canada where, from 1927, he worked as
a journalist. In 1926-1928 he was a member of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, a
reserve militia unit. From 1928 to May 1930 he was editor of the Western
News (now Ukrainian News), a Ukrainian Catholic weekly published in Edmonton, and, from August 1930 to
April 1931, assistant editor of the weekly Ukraina, published in
Chicago, USA. In 1930 he became a Canadian citizen.

At the beginning of 1931 Kysilewsky, together with
Jacob Makohin,
took part in discussions with the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League of
Canada (USRL, Soiuz Ukraintsiv Samostiinykiv u Kanadi) concerning the
establishment of the Ukrainian Bureau in London. In May 1931 he came to
London to serve as the Bureau's director. In this capacity he monitored
and disseminated information on the situation of Ukrainians in Poland,
the Soviet Union and other countries. He lobbied government officials
and Members of Parliament and maintained contacts with journalists and
academics. According to British Foreign Office documents he
represented the Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance (UNDO)
in the UK.

From 1933 to 1936, while directing the Bureau, he studied for a PhD
at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of
London, and prepared a dissertation on “The Ukrainian National Awakening
in Austria, 1772-1848”. In November 1939 he was appointed special
representative of the USRL in London with authority to speak on its
behalf on matters relating to the Ukrainian independence movement. In
May 1940 he closed down the Ukrainian Bureau, whose activities had been
severely curtailed by the war, and returned to Canada.

On his return Kysilewsky became involved in persuading most of the
Ukrainian organisations in Canada to unite in the Ukrainian Canadian
Committee which was formed in November 1940 (now the Ukrainian Canadian
Congress). In
1942 he began to work for the Nationalities Branch of the Department of
National War Services in Ottawa. At this time he changed his surname to
Kaye. After the end of the Second World War until his retirement in 1962
he worked for the Citizenship Branch of the Canadian government.

From 1948 to 1958 he also taught history and Slavonic studies at the
University of Ottawa, becoming an associate professor and head of the
Slavic Department in 1950. He was active in many scholarly societies,
including the Canadian Association of Slavists, of which he became the
first president in 1954. He was a Full Member of the
Shevchenko Scientific Society
of Canada (from February 1958), a longstanding board
member of the Society (early 1960s to 1976) and head of its Ottawa
branch (1961-1974). After
his retirement he continued his research, particularly on the history of
Ukrainians in Canada. He was the author of several monographs, including
Early Ukrainian Settlement in Canada 1895-1900 (Toronto, 1964) and
Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography: Pioneer Settlers of Manitoba
1891-1900 (Toronto, 1975), as well as many research reports, journal and
newspaper articles and other publications. In 1974 he was awarded the
Order of Canada.